Orthotic devices are essentially braces used in various configurations and are intended to offer stability to individuals suffering from various disorders, such as neuromuscular disorders such as seen in cerebral palsy or acquired disorders such as seen after a traumatic event. They are used in a multitude of environments. Frequently, they are employed in therapeutic environments to assist in, for example, gait, flexibility and strength training.
Most times therapy is provided in a land based environment. There are many devices employed by health care professionals to assist patients in the land based therapeutic environment, including orthotics that provide the necessary stability and control necessary to offer therapeutic advantages.
Increasingly however, aquatic based therapies are seen as the treatment of choice for patients. Aquatic therapy provides a partial weight-bearing environment that enables increasing ambulating, flexibility and strength, and decreasing pain that land based therapy cannot provide. Therapists using aquatic therapy for their patients, until now, have had to place their hands around a patient's waist or hold onto their hands to offer the patient stability and guidance. This has limited the potential for patient outcomes since it often difficult, if not impossible, for a therapist to hold a patient safely, guide the patient, and at the same time position the patient for good body mechanics.
Therapists try to use various tools, such as kick boards or “noodles” but these devices only offer a partial solution: they offer buoyancy but not stability. Traditional ground based therapy orthotic devices are too bulky, heavy and their material absorbs water (read: will not float) to be used in aquatic therapy.
Accordingly, many therapists who would otherwise use aquatic therapy with their patients turn away from the therapy. There is need, therefore, for an orthotic device that can be safely and effectively used in aquatic therapy environments. The device should offer ease of use, be lightweight and buoyant, provide patient stability, and enable the therapist to guide the patient and simultaneously provide good body mechanics. The present invention provides such a solution.